Thrown To The Wolves
by Raginbull
Summary: What if there was another White Fang member in Beacon that slipped under Ozpin's radar? What if he refused to just be a pawn, and did things for himself? Meet a Wolf Faunus that is more than just your average third year, and determine where his loyalties lie. (First story, pardon me for the bad summary, M for safety)
1. Chapter 1

'Hey' -is the voices of the swords

"Hey" -is dialogue (obviously)

Hey -is thoughts

 _When I was a young boy, my father used to tell me stories. They were stories about greed, some of sacrifice. One day, he told me a special story._

"Lieutenant!" The grunts snapped to attention as I walked past. I waved them off as I entered the tent. Inside, Adam was planning our latest endeavour. A schnee cargo train was passing through the area, and we sure as hell needed as much dust as possible.

"So how's the master plan coming along Adam?" I asked sarcastically. If I were any other person, I would be dead, but Adam just turned around and smiled. "It would be going much better if my number one strategist was helping me". I feigned surprise, "What, me? Apparently somebody wanted me to go on a little scouting excursion deep in the forest", I said, smirking. "Anyway, who did 'ya choose for the raid?" I asked. He shook his head at my antics, a light smile gracing his face. "It'll just be Blake and I; we'll steal as much as we can, then get off". He paused. "Anyway, shouldn't you be heading off soon? The semester starts in a week, and you deserve a little break before going back". "You had to remind me" I groaned. I had to be in Vale before the week was done if I wanted to catch the airship back to Beacon, where no doubt more racists would be accepted in. Sometimes I wonder if Ozpin even bothered to check their character or just accepted people based on results.

"Well then, if you're so keen to be rid of me, I'll be taking my leave" I feigned a hurt expression as I walked towards the tent entrance. Just before leaving, I turned to face Adam. "I'll be sending reports in every month, so you better not die during this raid" I joked, despite my sombre words.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be careful. When haven't I?" He scoffed. "You better be careful too. The road to vale is treacherous, and you know how many humans would be happy to put a lone Faunus in the ground, even in town" He took a serious tone. "Well they can die trying. Thanks for the concern though" I responded, before letting my voice take a mocking tone. "But you can always call on me if things get too dangerous for the little bull to handle" I teased him. He scowled at me. "Sometimes I wonder why I even work with you Rayes Aeron," He paused, cracking a smile before continuing "Good travels to you, and may he guide your path". "As he shall guide our path to victory" I completed, smiling warmly at him, before turning around and walking out of the tent, my hand raised in farewell. Outside, the guards had already left, probably to stuff their mouths with food. I took a deep breath after leaving the tent, taking my time to exhale. I had a long journey ahead of me, and while I knew I could find my own necessities, I would rather stock up here before moving on. I made my way to a rather crowded mess hall, waved off a few grunts trying to kiss up to me, and collected a few supplies.

Weirdly enough, someone decided to put a full-body mirror at the exit of the mess hall. I would have given them a severe dressing down if I had time, but hell, I had time off for school, so that was Adam's job now, I thought as I smiled wickedly. I took sometime staring at my reflection, unnerved at how a simple Grimm mask could change someone's appearance.

I had pitch black hair, with two pointed stark white wolf ears resting in the jumble that was my hair. While they were normally hidden by my fedora, they were free to breathe in the camp. I would only wear the fedora during missions and at school, as they had almost gotten me discovered on more than one covert mission. My face was obscured by the mask that I had designed along with Adam when we were still rising through the ranks. I was wearing a simple grey shirt with black pants, having left my usual cloak at my apartment in Vale, along with Wolf's Kiss, my modified rifle, and my pistol which could endure conditions from sub-zero in some parts of Atlas to the scorching sands of Vacuo. The only thing that anyone could trace back to me was two plain, grey, sheathes at my side, of which only one had a standard sword. While I missed using my normal weapons, I could not afford to be recognised as a White Fang member while at Beacon, much less an officer.

I left the mess hall, walked over to the armoury, and turned in the sword. The Quartermaster looked at me strangely. "Aren't you going to hand in the sheath as well?"

"Well aren't you an observant one" I mutter under my breath, before staring straight into her eyes. She shrunk from under my gaze. "Is someone going to fight with a sheath?" She shook her head vigorously. "Then why would they need a sheath" I stated coldly. "The only place they need to keep the sword is in a racist's body." And with that, I walked away. I could hear her colleagues comforting her behind me. Probably spreading rumours about me and telling her of what I can do. There were too many new recruits, all so eager but none so willing to fight for their equality, ready to run at the first sign of opposition. I shook my head as I walked out of the camp, making sure I was far away enough before removing my mask and using my semblance to store it, taking out my sabre and storing it in my right sheath.

I took a few more steps before I sensed a few auras ahead of me. I darted up a tree and silently observed them. There were three of them. Humans. Even with my enhanced vision and smell, I could barely make out their position, and all I could tell from their auras were the colours they most likely wore: Green, Grey, and what seemed to be dull orange.

Well, I thought, if there's only three of them, Adam should be able to handle them. I dropped down from my position on the tree and continued on my merry way. It was only a few Kilometres to Vale. A few Hundred that is. Can't wait for the countless highwaymen and Grimm I would no doubt encounter. At least it would give me a chance to refine my Swordsmanship.

'Hey! We should try hunting for some Ursas! I heard they're really tender during this time of year', a voice enthusiastically suggested in my head. Before I could reply, another voice piped up. 'If you had even the slightest bit of intelligence, you would know that they disappear shortly after their killed" it said coldly. "Oh shut it you two," I said before the first voice replied. "We have a long way to go, and I'd rather be thinking of useful things instead of having my mind filled with bickering from you two".

'Yeah, that's right frosty!' And like that, a countless stream of insults were being thrown back and forth between the two. I had to be the unluckiest person on Remnant to be able to forge weapons with an attitude. I sighed. It was going to be a long week.

 **Hello there! While this is my first story, I recommend you go hard on me in the reviews, gotta learn to fix mistakes fast! Anyway, our protagonist (I guess?) is Rayes Aeron, A wolf Faunus in his 3** **rd** **year of Beacon, while also being a White fang Lieutenant. Be sure to let me know about any Areas for improvement!**

 **P.S: Updates may not be regular as I have National exams coming up . but I'll try my best!**


	2. Chapter 2

'Hey' -is the voices of the swords

"Hey" -is dialogue (unless otherwise stated)

Hey -is thoughts

 **I forgot to mention that his swords have names. His sabre is named Alpha while the other sword is named Omega.**

 _He turned to me. "Sit down son. There is something you must learn about this world and its people"._

5 days before the airship leaves

"These guys never learn do they" I muttered under my breath, drawing Alpha. This had to be the thirtieth bandit group I had come across. 'Actually this is the 28th', Omega corrected me.

There were 2 in front of me, and one trying to stealthily circle around to my back. The two were brandishing knives and ordering me to drop all my possessions. When I drew my sabre, I caught a glance of the one on the left, a boy that looked no older than fifteen, furtively glancing at his friend, who looked old enough to be his father. Maybe it was his father, bringing his son out to rob lone travellers on the road. While that was more common than you think, to bring a kid with no activated aura? Now that was practically asking him to be killed. I smirked. Looks like he wasn't too confident in his knife skills as well. I filed this away as another weakness I could exploit, under an already growing pile of faults I could find like their stance, their grip on the knives, and the obvious hesitation to attack me.

Their third member was almost directly behind me, so I decided to break the little stand-off we had. I dashed forward, holding my sabre as close to my body as possible, and rushed shorty. He paled and took a step back just as fiery jumped in front of him, knife held in a somewhat menacing manner. I waited until I was just in front of him before dashing to the side, and appearing to target the kid, so as to force the man to expose his side to try and stop me. If he didn't, I would go after the kid. Either way was a win-win situation for me. He took the bait, pivoting on the spot to try and keep me away. I used my foot to stop my momentum, and brought my sabre up, putting a diagonal slash across his torso. He gasped and stumbled backwards, taking a knee, just as the kid jumped out and forced me to parry his desperate slashes.

Interesting. I hummed to myself. Maybe this kid had more backbone than I gave him credit for, or maybe he just had more confidence when that Sniper of theirs was in position. They had no idea I knew, but a bullet being chambered was a rather distinctive sound when you had to listen out for it your whole life. I glanced to the

I toyed with the boy for a little while longer, putting on an expression of determination, until I heard a familiar *crack*. I smiled at this, dodging to the side. I watched as the boy's face dropped at the sudden weight of a bullet impacting his chest.

"NO!" A cry of anguish came from the man, as he got to his feet and came at me with renewed vigour. Looks like I was right. The kid was his son, and now I had a reckless opponent in front of me, and probably a traumatised sniper behind me.

I put a few lazy swipes at the man, who made no attempt to parry, only charging blindly ahead, just like a certain bull I knew. I smiled warmly as I thought about how the raid went. I received no news at all, but you know what they say, no news is good news. But it was kind of worrying. Normally, Adam would call and brag about his success. Maybe the Schnees captured him? That would be the day.

'Watch out behind you!' I was snapped out of my inner monologue and dodged to the side just as the sniper charged at the spot I had previously been standing at. I frowned at their actions. Having their wildcard dash into a fight like that would only give me the advantage now. After all, it was much harder to fight something you didn't see. Although I guess I always knew where they were. I cautiously watched both of them as they seem to exchange looks, before both charging at me. I parried their blades skyward, before delivering a haymaker to the side of the sniper's head. I saw his glasses go flying off as he crumpled down in a heap. One down, one to go. By now, the man's slashes were getting slower and sloppier, so I decided to put a stop to it. As my sabre entered his chest, piercing his lung, and possibly many other vital organs, I whispered into his ear "salute, my misguided friend. Maybe you should have chosen a different profession?"

"Go fuck yourself" he coughed, blood hitting my ear, before he stilled. I lowered him to the ground, before cleaning my sabre on him. 'I'll never understand that. You always acknowledge them after running them through, and when I ask why, you always say it's a code of conduct you follow,' a nigh-emotionless voice asked me. 'Yeah, and then you clean us on their clothes, so that means it's not really out of respect either' Omega piped up. "It's about principle." I explained. "All I ever wanted was equality, so I treat all people equally, even after they die." I paused, before adding "Unless their idiots, or racists, then they deserve what they get" I added, eyes glinting, hand formed in a fist. I winced immediately after, shaking my hand to try and get feeling back into it. I would never understand how Kaz could simply punch someone and not feel the pain, aura or not.

'Whatever' Omega replied, sounding unimpressed. 'Anyway, when are you going to use me?' He quickly asked me, enthusiasm evident in his voice. I sighed, before using my semblance to store Alpha, taking him out while doing so. Omega was a Wakizashi that was laced with fire dust, which would explain his rivalry with Alpha, who was laced with ice dust. I placed him in my left sheath, before looking over to the still unconscious sniper. "Hmm… now what should I do to you…" I wondered aloud. 'We could string him up on a tree' Omega suggested. 'That…actually isn't that bad of an idea' Alpha admitted. 'Never would have expected someone like you to think of it'. 'Why you little…' Omega growled.

"Oh for fucks sake guys, just give me a second to think!" I shouted before they could get into an argument that would have lasted all the way till Vale. I could string him up and leave him for some other traveller to find. Or rather, for the Grimm to find.

I glanced up at the sky, to find it turning a vibrant orange. Whatever I chose, I had to decide fast, unless I wanted to be surrounded by Grimm who had sensed the deaths here. As I looked beyond the horizon, I saw a little cottage start to light up. And where there's one, there's often more. I couldn't afford to let him be found by others that might try and chase after me. I sighed, taking out some rope, and tied him around a tree trunk. Sure it was a waste of rope, but when you had the potential for an endless supply?

"Well that's that." I said, dusting myself off, before continuing towards Vale.

3 days before the airship leaves

I glanced up, and sure enough, the walls of Vale were there, in the distance. I sighed, before taking out my fedora with my semblance and putting it on, and storing Omega. I had switched Alpha and Omega regularly during the journey so as to stop the incessant bickering that would arise if I favoured one of them more. Well, time to try and get into the city without being stereotyped as a White Fang member. 'Except you are a member' Alpha reminded me. I shrugged my shoulders, before heading towards the gates.

The guards were fairly oblivious to the flow of traffic heading in and out of the city, and only when their superior appear did they act like they were doing their jobs. Which, curse my luck, made them stop me to do a full security screening on me.

I sighed, taking off my sheaths and handing it to the guard for inspection, before taking off my fedora. I saw the guards all stiffen when I did so, and not a moment later. I was taken to an office and being questioned on all things regarding my presence.

When I told them that I was a student at Beacon, they stared incredulously at me, before one of the guards left the room, presumably to check with Ozpin or one of the teachers. I leant back in the chair I was sitting in, watching the remaining guard fidgeting, his finger hovering over the trigger of his weapon.

After a few tense minutes, the guard entered the room with my gear. "Looks like your story checks out. Now get out of here" He said gruffly, tossing my hat and sheaths at me. I put on my fedora and buckled my sheaths before walking out of the office building. Well the guards are as welcoming as ever. I glance up at the sky and frowned. I had wasted my entire morning in that damned office, just because of a few guards decided I was a possible security threat when they saw my ears.

I walked through the streets for about 15 minutes, before coming to my apartment building. I climbed up the stairs to the third floor, stopping before the first door. I bent down and tilted a plant, taking the key from underneath it, and unlocking the door. I really should start carrying a key with me I thought as I opened the door. I wouldn't be surprised if one of these days it would go missing.

As I entered my apartment, familiar smells bombarded me. A hint of that prototype dust bomb I had tried building. The faint smell of a cat my neighbour had asked me to take care of one time. I walked deeper into the apartment and went straight to my wardrobe. Opening it, I carefully plucked out my Great Cloak, and pouring a bit of my aura out towards the cloak, tested if the dust was still active. The cloak flared a familiar red, before fading to a simple grey. I smiled, tugging it on. Glancing towards the clock, I saw that it was only two in the afternoon. I glanced at my scroll just as two messages came in. They were from Adam, or as I listed him in my contacts, horns. I opened the messages and glanced at the contents briefly, before lowering the scroll from my face. Blake had run away during the last heist, and apparently we had a new sponsor.

"Fan-fuckin-tastic" I sighed, using two fingers to massage my brow. "Do you want me to use our forces here to look for her" I typed out quickly. Since I was technically in command of Vale's Fang, I could authorise a search for her, depending on his response. Adam's response was almost instantaneous. Don't bother. Enjoy your time off and keep me updated.

Well then, better get my networks back on line then. I got up, walked out of the room, locked the door and slid the key into my pocket, before leaving the building. I took a short walk over to Junior's Club. While it was technically not open yet, I knew he would be inside.

As I approached the doors, one of the bouncers held out his hand to stop me. "We're closed. Come back later". He must be new. I ignored him and walked past him. When he put his hand on my shoulder, I sent out some of my aura, enough so that the dust in my cloak could activate, and focused it on his hand. The guard reared back as if he had been hit, cradling his hand, and staring at me with hostility.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here for business, not gonna cause any trouble" I paused, before adding, "You may also want to get some ice for that" before walking into the club.

Inside the club, the music was barely audible, the DJ not even wearing his bear head. Junior was, predictably, behind the bar cleaning his never-ending supply of cups. As I made my way over to the bar, all the guards seemed to stop what they were doing to watch me. I felt a few of them begin to follow me towards the bar, obviously getting ready for trouble.

As I sat down on one of the stools, Junior looked up from his glass, before putting it down shortly after. "So Wolf, how can I help you" He inquired gruffly. Some of his men backed off upon hearing this, figuring out that their boss knew me. "I need to familiarise myself with Vale again, I've been out travelling for too long" I told him. "Anything change while I was gone?"

"Not much. A few dust robberies here and there, but that's always been common. How long you staying?" He asked me. I shrugged my shoulders. "Going back to school, so can't say for sure, but," I said as I placed a bag of lien on the counter. "I hope that that keeps me informed if anything major happens"

Junior nodded at me, before taking the bag. I walked off, pausing outside the Club, before heading back to my apartment. 'Well that went well' Alpha said. 'You didn't have to break anything this time' Omega added.

 **Well that's it for now, next chapter he will be heading back to Beacon before the plot forces him to go somewhere else**

 **I (more or less) have this story planned out, but I will take any suggestions on how you want the plot to progress into consideration. Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

'Hey' -is the voices of the swords

"Hey" -is dialogue (unless otherwise stated)

Hey -is thoughts

" _There is a fight going on in everyone. It is a terrible fight, between two great and powerful wolves"_

…98, 99,100. I released the breath I had been holding, sighing in irritation. 10 minutes before the airship leaves for beacon, and it hasn't even arrived yet?

I leant back on the bench I was sitting on and sighed in exasperation. I began checking on my equipment again. I was already wearing my Great cloak, and I had opted to carry Alpha for now, leaving Omega stored with my semblance, which in its own way, is pretty overpowered.

I mean, the ability to create anything? While it did require me to focus for a while to use it, outside of combat it was the perfect tool for utility. Pocket dimensions for storage, never running out of dust or lien, maybe even creating sentient Grimm? The possibilities were endless.

I leaned forward, hands resting on the barrel of Wolf's Kiss. One hand creeped inside of my cloak, before coming to a rest around my pistol, gripping on to it reassuringly. I should really come up with a name for it.

The droning of engines filled the air. I glanced up, and there it was. 5 minutes before the scheduled departure. I picked up my rifle, slinging it over my shoulder, before walking up one of the ramps of the ship. I took a seat at the side of the ship and waited. 5 minutes later, the ship closed its doors, and took off towards Beacon.

I took a quick look around the airship. Despite the chatter, there was one conversation that was easiest to pick up on. Something about wanting normal knees.

"Urgh…" I turned towards the sound, eyebrows raised ever so slightly at what I found. A Blonde boy wearing a hoodie, with a short sword by his side. He was hunched over, hands covering his mouth. Well he's clearly not enjoying the ride. I frowned as I discovered something I had overlooked. No aura. How in the frozen plains of hell did he survive, much less get accepted to Beacon with no aura?

Now, while it wasn't impossible for a well-trained warrior, but this boy? He gave off no such vibe. Oh well. He would have to prove himself in initiation, and if I saw him around afterwards, he would have some form of competency with that sword.

I got up from my seat and walked towards him, hand reaching inside my cloak. With a discreet use of my semblance, I pulled out a little paper bag, which I passed to him.

"Thanks" He croaked, before returning to his previous position, albeit the bag replacing his hands. Hopefully he'd last until Beacon. I returned back to my seat. A newscast was airing at that moment on the holographic screen, followed by mugshots of Roman Torchwick. I turned my attention to the screen, interested.

"The robbery was led by nefarious criminal Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."

The screen changed from the mugshots, before switching to one of a female reporter with a Faunus protest in the background. I leaned forward, curious about what was so important about the protest that the news didn't try and cover up.

"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organisation has now disrupted..."

At that moment Goodwitch appeared on the screen, before giving her standardised welcome to the first-years. I leant back in my seat, before swearing under my breath. They had decided to not report in to me, and do whatever the fuck they wanted. The next time I attended a meet, shit was going to hit the fan, along the person who had authorised this.

I was distracted from my thoughts by a sudden rush of students to the windows. Right. This was probably their first trip on and airship, and probably the first look they'd get at Beacon from this height.

Just then, the Blond kid ran past, paper bag practically over flowing, towards a nearby dustbin. The poor boy never stood a chance. Thankfully, we were only a few minutes away from Beacon, so the whole ship wouldn't stink of vomit. Hopefully.

As the door opened, the blonde kid ran out, before proceeding to empty the contents of his lunch into the first dustbin outside. As I walked past, I patted him on the back sympathetically. I knew the feeling of getting motion sick, but with the debilitating effect of my own semblance, I had come to adjust to it until I could no longer feel most of the effects.

I stretched when I came off the airship. I suppose I could just head to my dorm first, and wait for Ozpin to call for me. He must have at least a few missions he wants me to do.

Just then, I heard a crash, followed by a voice shouting. As I walked towards the sound, I saw a girl in white shouting at a girl who was wearing red. I took a closer look at the girl in white. A Schnee. Well this was going to be fun.

As I approached the duo, the Schnee opened a case and took out a vial of red dust. "This is Dust -mined and purified from the Schnee quarry!" She said, shaking the vial haphazardly in front of her.

"Now now children, no point in causing a scene on your first day of school," I said, using a condescending tone just to annoy the Schnee. "Children! Do you know who…" I cut her off. "Yes I know who you are." I said before adjusting my cloak. "Your company's dust never works in my weapons. I think it's too impure." I smugly said, before turning around and walking away.

"Wha, How dare you!" I could hear her shout, before I heard her turn back to scolding that poor girl. I hadn't walked more than 10 metres away before I heard a loud explosion. I sighed. Schnee's always fail to notice defects in their own product until it's too late, and even then, they blame it on others.

As I entered the dorm building, I kept walking before stopping outside of my team's room. On the door in bold was my team's name. Team MVRK, pronounced as Maverick. I used my scroll to unlock the door, before walking into the room. "I'm back" I whispered to no-one in particular.

I turned to face the empty room forlornly. 2 beds would never be filled again, with the third one likely to never be used again. I sighed before sitting down on my bed. My scroll buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out to look at the message.

Be at Beacon cliff by 0900 for initiation. Be in Combat gear ~Ozpin

Well guess I should get some sleep then. Have to make sure the first years don't die tomorrow. I lay down on my bed, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

" _Mikki Auburn, Kaz Azure, Victoria Oleander, Rayes Aeron. The four of you retrieved the white pawn pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Maverick, led by Mikki Auburn."_

 _I turned to look at my future teammates. I would have to tell them about my ears someday, and maybe they wouldn't look at me with contempt if I was lucky._

* * *

" _Second years, we have called you here for a special priority mission." professor Ozpin paused, pushing up his glasses, before continuing. "A village is on the verge of being overrun by Grimm. We need a team to hold out for 2 days before reinforcements arrive. I will be frank with you. There is a chance that not all of you will survive, but if nobody volunteers, the village will be overrun." Silence reigned in the hall upon this grim warning._

" _We'll do it" a voice called out. I turned to look at the source of the voice, which was Mikki. "Might as well do it if nobody else wants to right?" Victoria said. "Well duh, it's for the people in that village" Kaz scoffed. They turned to look at me, expecting me to voice an objection. I just shook my head, giving a thumbs up, "It is our job after all. Protecting the helpless and what not"._

 _Professor Ozpin nodded. "Very well. Team Maverick, report to a bullhead, you are being deployed immediately. Good luck"_

* * *

" _Watch the Left side!" Mikki shouted, just as an Ursa charged me. No matter how many we killed, more just kept coming. "Didn't Ozpin say 2 days?" I shouted, "We've been fighting non-stop for 5 days, and they still haven't arrived."_

" _Just concentrate on the fight! Save your breath," Kaz said, before he swatted a Beowolf like it was a fly. I growled as I cut off the head of an Ursa with Alpha, before using the Dust stored in my Cloak to burn a few Beowolfs who had wandered too close._

 _Our auras were all dangerously low, and we were all exhausted from the continuous fighting, and the Grimm seemed to notice this. I had just cut off a creep from charging at Mikki when I saw black and white heads slithering rapidly towards Kaz. "Kaz behind you!" I shouted a warning, as I blocked the creep's attacks._

 _I saw Kaz turn around and expected him to hit that glorified snake back to dust. Kaz threw a punch out at the black head, but his fist connected with air. I watched in horror as the two heads coiled around him, until only the top of his head was visible. I could see his face turning red, before turning blue. I moved to help him but I was cut off by two Ursa Majors. Fuck, this wasn't good._

 _The King Taijitu reared up and struck at Kaz. His aura barely deflected the blow. If I didn't get that soon, things would go bad. From out of the trees, Victoria dashed out, aiming for the King Taijitu. She shot at it while she closed the distance, before shifting her weapon back into a Kopis._

 _Fuck these Grimm trying to stop me from helping my teammates. I growled as I started slashing through the horde that stood in between me and Kaz. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mikki dispatch the Grimm that was attacking her, catching her breath, before diving back into the chaos. Damnit Ozpin. Learn to Fucking Count. As I slowly got closer to Kaz, I saw the King Taijitu swat Victoria away, breaking her aura. She was too tired to try and stick the landing, landing at the feet of … a Deathstalker. My eyes widened, as I put more effort into making a path towards them._

 _The Deathstalker looked down at Victoria, eyes full of gloating. Its stinger came up, before falling down into Victoria's unprotected body. At the same time, I could see Kaz stop struggling as the life left his face._

 _I heard a gasp. I glanced behind me to see Mikki, hands over her mouth, eyes almost tearing up, before she adopted a steely look. Oh Fuck. She can't be thinking of…No._

 _Mikki slowly raised her arms, and the surrounding trees mimicked her movements. She started to swat all the Grimm in the area, before collapsing onto the ground._

 _Damn it Mikki! You know how intensive that semblance is on your aura. I ran towards her, kneeling beside her and checking her pulse. It was barely present. I had to get her out of here._

 _With no Bullhead in sight, I had to rely on my semblance. I pulled out some dust and fashioned a horse, before placing her on the horse. I plucked out an image of Beacon from my mind, focusing on the arena, before creating a portal there._

 _I commanded the horse towards the portal, just as more Grimm poured out of the forest. I closed the portal after they disappeared through it, taking out Omega, holding my swords at the ready._

" _No Grimm shall leave this area alive" I said out loud. 'Let justice be done…' Alpha whispered. "…though the heavens fall" Omega echoed._

 _The next few hours passed in a blur. The air was tainted with the smell of burning Grimm, and yet they still came, like lamb led to slaughter. As the last Grimm was returned to dust, I leant against a tree, before sliding down to sit. A few Ursas approached from out of the trees. They cautiously sniffed the air, before their gazes fell on me. I glared back at them, as if urging them to try me._

 _They started to approach me menacingly, just as I heard a familiar drone of engines. Late again, why am I not surprised? I sank back down as bullheads filled the sky. A few hunters dropped down from the bullheads, before taking care of the Ursas. One of them approached me. "Where's your team son?"_

" _Dead, because some people apparently thought two sounded like five" I shot back before collapsing._

* * *

 _I jumped off the bullhead and ran towards professor Goodwitch. "Where is she? Where's Mikki?" I questioned her. Ozpin stepped out from behind her. "Calm down Rayes. She's safe. What of your other teammates?"_

 _When I turned to him, he looked surprised at the amount of venom in my tone. "Oh wouldn't you like to know. You told us we would have to hold out for two days. We fought for fucking 5 days before any help showed up. So how can I even trust you when you say she's safe?" I seethed._

 _Ozpin looked troubled at my words. Professor Goodwitch glanced over at him, before saying "five days?" Apparently even she didn't realise just how long we'd been fighting._

 _Ozpin sighed. "She's in the infirmary if you want to see her. I'm afraid she won't be waking up anytime soon." My heart dropped upon hearing these words, before I ran off._

 _When I entered the Infirmary, I immediately ran to the bed where Mikki was. She was plugged into a heart rate monitor, and had IV drips in her arm. I called over a nurse. "What the fuck happened to her?"_

" _She used too much of her aura at once. We have no idea when she's going to wake up. Best things you can do is head back to your dorm and wait."_

 _I made no indication of moving, so the nurse just sighed and went back to her work. I kept my eyes on Mikki as I listened to the monitor drone._

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

 **Okay that's it for now. I decided to go into some of his backstory, with a flashback of his time with his team (denoted by italics).**

 **Also gave a hint of what he can do when both Alpha and Omega are out at the same time. Till next time!**


	4. Little Note

**Hey guys! Just a little reminder**

 **Due to my upcoming exams, Updates will be sporadic, up until November 20th (Hopefully I won't complete it by then), Future chapters may also decrease in length, but I'll try my best!**

 **~R**


	5. Chapter 4

'Hey' -is the voices of the swords

"Hey" -is dialogue (unless otherwise stated)

Hey -is thoughts

 **I'm working on my procrastination problem, just you wait and see!**

" _One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."_

BEEP

I opened my eyes as an alarm on my scroll went off. I sat up, turning off the alarm as I did so, glancing at the time shown on the screen. 7:00 a.m. Enough time for me to gather my things, get some food in me and report to Ozpin.

I walked into the bathroom, before stripping down and entering the shower. Not long after, warm water began pouring out of the shower head. Wonder what Ozpin wants me to do, I idly thought, scrubbing myself thoroughly. After about 5 minutes, I got out of the shower, grabbing one of the towels on the drying rack. Not like anyone will mind.

I quickly dried myself off, put on my clothes and brushed my teeth, before leaving the bathroom. I grabbed my scroll, moving to exit the room.

I put on my hat as I closed the door, before turning towards the cafeteria. If the first years were anything like my year, they wouldn't be up until about 8, which means I should have the place to myself…

Entering the cafeteria, my suspicions were confirmed. The place was a ghost town, with only a few 2nd years around, the rest probably sleeping in until their classes.

I picked up a tray, before proceeding to fill it with random food that may have not been appropriate for breakfast. I picked up a mug of coffee in one hand, and with my tray in the other, before moving over to the nearest table.

Putting everything down on the table, I took out my scroll, leaning it against the coffee mug, before I picked up a fork and started eating.

I ignored the glances I received from the other students in the cafeteria. They had probably seen the rift that I had opened in their combat class, and had probably heard of what happened to my team. I continued eating as I glanced at the news on my scroll

"OUTBREAK OF DUST ROBBERIES"I read. Most likely that Torchwick fellow. I don't think Adam would use the forces here to rob dust shops, and besides, he should be back in Mistral to command his cell.

After I finished my food, I saw the doors to the cafeteria fly open. The cause was a bright and energetic red-head. Behind her, a boy was silently following her. His hair was tied in a ponytail, and had a purples streak in it.

Interesting duo… If luck was on their sides, they would be partners. I don't think anybody else can handle the girl's energy levels, and the boy seems used to it by now.

I glanced at my scroll to discover that it was 7:40. I looked back up to see the trickle of first years turn into a flood. Aren't they enthusiastic?

 _Jaune POV_

Jaune was having a bad morning. He had woken up later than everyone else, so he was last in the queue for the washrooms. By the time he had gotten ready and headed to the cafeteria, there was the longest line he had ever seen in his life. He sighed as he got in line. By the time he had gotten his food, all the tables in the cafeteria were taken up by other people, leaving no space for him to sit. He scanned the crowd, hoping to find a familiar face that he could share a table with.

At first glance he missed him, but his gaze eventually returned to him. It was the boy who had given him the bag on the airship. Hopefully he's friendly Jaune thought, as he began walking towards him.

 _Rayes POV_

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here?" I almost choked on my coffee. I glanced up and saw the boy from the airship. No wonder I didn't notice him. It's hard to keep track of people when you're mostly just looking at their aura. I motioned that it was okay, as I tried to recover.

The boy sat down and nervously started eating his food, glancing at me every so often. I shrugged before going back to my scroll, sipping coffee occasionally. I had expected him to be a talkative one.

"So… What's your name?" The boy suddenly asked. I took a sip from the mug before answering. "My name's Rayes Aeron." I had honestly no intention of finding out his name, as there was no guarantee he would even pass initiation, but he told me anyway.

"Well the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it" He said. I raised my eyebrow at that. Well if his skills are as big as his ego, he should be able to pass initiation with flying colours.

I took a big gulp of my coffee, nearly finishing it, before asking. "So Jaune…why me? Of all the tables you could have gone to, why mine?" **[Cause Plot XD]**

"Well, I wanted to thank you for yesterday. Even though the bag wasn't able to hold everything, it was a big help" He explained, before giving me a wide smile. "Besides, my mom always says, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

I smiled, nodding as I did so. "Well said Jaune." Hopefully he kept this attitude towards everybody, not just those he thinks are humans. I looked around the room to see people leaving the cafeteria. I glanced down at my scroll to see that it was almost half to 9.

"You should probably hurry up and finish Jaune. Initiation is in 30 minutes" I said. Wonder how his motion sickness would affect him when Ozpin launches him from the cliff. I stood up, finishing my coffee as I did so, placing the mug at the return station, before walking towards the locker rooms.

I walked over to my locker, inputting a small code, before opening it. Resting inside, was Kaz's pair of vambraces around Wolf's kiss which I had kept before returning to my dorm.

As I slipped the vambraces on to my arm, I felt a familiar presence approaching me. I sighed, knowing that _Ms Schnee Heiress_ was about to blow her top at me. "You!"

As I took out my rifle, I turned around shutting the door of the locker, before replying. "How may I help you?" I asked, eyebrows raised, a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

"First you disrespect me, and then you insult my company? How dare you? Explain yourself!" She scolded me, glaring at me. I narrowed my eyes. "Well _I'm_ sorry. This is Beacon not a trade convention, and besides" I took a step forward, towering over her. " _Your company_ holds no power here" I growled.

Before she could retort, I turned away taking out my scroll and checking the time. "And now while I would _love_ to spend all morning with you," I said, slinging my rifle over my shoulder. "I don't think Ozpin would appreciate me being late."

 _Weiss person POV_

Rayes walked out of the locker room, leaving a fuming Weiss alone.

"That… Dunce!" She stomped her foot. "How dare he act all high and mighty to me!" "Hey Weiss, are you alright?" A voice behind her caused her to turn around. Standing in front of her was the one and only, Pyrrha Nikos.

"Oh everything's fine Pyrrha, just someone who doesn't know their place," Weiss replied, shooting murderous looks at the locker where the boy had taken his gear from.

Following her gaze, Pyrrha noticed the locker, before turning back to Weiss. "Are you sure that's his locker" She asked cautiously. Weiss nodded, "Why do you ask?"

"Well," Pyrrha started, "For one, that locker is in the upperclassmen section, so…" Weiss paused "But that means… I was arguing... with an upperclassman!" A look of realisation passed across her face.

Well that's…unfortunate to say the least, Weiss thought. But wait, Pyrrha is talking to me! Maybe I can convince her to join me on a team!

"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose…"

 _Rayes POV_

Of course He wasn't there yet. As I walked up the hill to Beacon cliff, I saw Professor Goodwitch waiting there, alone. As I approached, she looked up from her scroll, nodding to me, before she returned to whatever she was doing.

"So, any idea why Ozpin wanted me here?" I asked her. "Mr Aeron, Please show some respect for Professor Ozpin" She said, stressing the word professor, "and no, I do not know why you are here." She pushed up her glasses with one hand, before continuing. "In fact, I was only notified today" She finished, with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

So Ozpin didn't even tell Professor Goodwitch until recently. And as for respect? I lost most of it I had for him when he decided to leave us out there for longer than what was absolutely needed. Just because the council were busy being softcocks just because the majority of the village were Faunus didn't mean that Ozpin couldn't have sent someone else out to help.

Looking down the hill, I saw Ozpin strolling towards us. Glancing at my scroll, I saw that it was 15 minutes to 9. At least he's earlier than normal.

"Good morning Rayes, you must be wondering why I asked you here" He said, before taking a sip from his ever present coffee mug. I grunted, waiting for him to continue. He turned to Professor Goodwitch nodding at her, before continuing. "You're here Rayes, to help identify potential leaders and teams" He said, as Professor Goodwitch made the announcement for the students to report to the cliff.

"And why do I need my gear for this?" I asked. "You will also be on standby in case any Grimm unsuitable for a first year shows up" he answered.

I should have probably expected something like that. "Professor Goodwitch has also linked your scroll to the cameras in the forest, so you can observe our initiates." I nodded. All that was left for me to do was wait.

I should keep an eye on Jaune. See if he's actually suitable for Beacon. I looked up to see most of the first years approaching. "Please take a place on a vacant empty pad" Professor Goodwitch directed them.

I scanned over the line of initiates on the pads. Let's see…we have champion fighter Pyrrha Nikos, Overall pain in the ass Weiss schnee, and… Blake belladonna? I paused upon seeing her. Sensing something, she turned to look at me. I cursed silently, tearing my gaze away from her. Adam would be quite interested in her location but... I could always just watch over her. After all, Adam always does get more driven when he loses something.

My thoughts were broken by the sound of glass breaking. "Whaaat?!" I looked up to see a girl in red. She looked younger than the rest. Ozpin continued on with his standard speech. I held my hand up to my mouth to try and hide my grin. Given that Ozpin had just told them about partners, she must be nervous.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors," Ozpin paused, using his hand to indicate Professor Goodwitch and I ", will not intervene."

I resisted the urge to smirk at a certain heiress, who was trying to avoid my gaze. I noticed Jaune had raised his hand. "Yeah, um, sir?" He asked nervously.

"Good! Now, take your positions." Ozpin said dismissively. Jaune's gaze nervously flicked over to me before going back to Ozpin. I missed whatever he asked as I started tracking the people who were launched. I looked down the line, before raising my eyebrow. Whatever he was going to ask, he would have to be quick.

He opened his mouth, but whatever he said was lost in the wind as he was sent flying, screaming all the way.

I shook my head, chuckling. I turned to Ozpin. I had seen enough to confirm my theory. "…He cheated his way in didn't he?" I asked Ozpin. He shrugged as he drank some more coffee from that damned bottomless cup of his. "Whatever could you mean Rayes?" He said smugly.

I took out my scroll to monitor their journey through the forest. "Did you see anybody familiar Rayes?" Ozpin suddenly asked me. I shrugged. "Well there's Pyrrha Nikos, Weiss Schnee…" I trailed off. Catching the look he gave me, I decided to be serious. "There was also Blake belladonna" I offered. "She left about a week ago though, so she shouldn't be affiliated to us anymore" I confided in Ozpin.

He nodded at this, before returning his gaze to the forest.

* * *

I whistled. "Well… You don't see that everyday" I commented. Ozpin nodded. "It isn't every initiation someone drags a nevermore up the cliff, no" He agreed. "So how do they look" He asked.

I scrunched up my face to think over what happened. "Cardin Winchester seems to be the best choice for the black bishops… He has the confidence and charisma to lead" I furrowed my eyebrows. "As for the other two… White Knight lead by Ruby Rose and, I hate to say it, White bishop's best choice is Jaune Arc." I chained my expression, looking at Ozpin's smug face. "He has the potential to lead that team, or break it" I paused, before adding "and he also has to work on combat. Everything I saw from him today in combat was quite pitiful apart from his leadership." Ozpin nodded. "Now that that's settled, we should head inside for the ceremony."

* * *

"Must I really be here" I groaned, leaning on the wall at the back of the amphitheatre. "Not really Mr Aeron" I turned to See Professor Goodwitch approaching. I raised my eyebrow. "So… does that mean I can leave?" She frowned. "Not exactly. Professor Ozpin wants you to spend some time off sorting out your…personal issues".

"Ah. So I get more free time." I said adjusting my cloak. "Can't say I agree with this new 'curriculum' you guys are giving me." I shrugged. "Whatever. How long do I have?"

"You can take as much time as you need. We will call you back if your needed, otherwise, you are free to return whenever" She replied.

"Well then." I nodded at her. "I'll be taking my leave then" I walked out of the amphitheatre. If Ozpin was giving me time to fix problems in my cell, you can bet your ass that I would use it.

I took the liberties of storing my rifle and the vambraces in my locker, before taking an airship into Vale. I took to the streets, going through seemingly random alleys until I reached it.

The door had three claw marks on it. I made sure to keep my hat, get my mask out and put it on before entering. "I'm back boys!" I shouted to the gathering of Faunus who looked up upon hearing the door shut.

Before they could Say anything, I held up my hand. "First order of business," I paused, letting my voice take a sinister tone. "Who authorised the interruption of that protest?"

They all shuffled uncomfortably as a pregnant silence fell over the room. Suddenly, a beaver Faunus pushed his way to the front. "I did it!" He proudly announced. He obviously did not detect the warning signs that so many other members had.

"Well, we'll deal with you later" I left the issue at that, leaving a mental note to inform the medics of a new patient later. "Alright, secondly." I said, clapping my hands together. "I heard we have a new… business partner."

Of course, I had already sensed a different aura in the room that didn't belong to any of the fang members, so I expected him to step forward. What I didn't expect however, was the person it was.

"Why you're right about that wolfy! Why don't we talk business?" Roman Torchwick said, stepping out from behind the group.

I led him to the little command office I had set up when I gained control of the Vale cell, and sat down behind a desk. "So, what do you need?"

"Well, if the dust heists that I'm organising are to go smoothly," He said, lighting a cigar. "I'm going to need more men"

 **Really late chapter but, meh**

 **Next chapter is a timeskip to Jaundice, and since I have no idea when it happens, Goodwitch gave Rayes the ability to be gone for almost a month if needed. Chose this time period cause Glynda says "It's been weeks now" and Ren says Nora has had the same dream for "a month" so I have no idea.**

 **I have 5 more exams over the course of the next 2 weeks; hopefully I'll become more consistent**

 **Cya next time!**


	6. Chapter 5

'Hey' -is the voices of the swords

"Hey" -is dialogue (unless otherwise stated)

Hey -is thoughts

 **Sorry for late updates, random commitments have been popping up, but I should be able to get at least 1 chapter out every week (hopefully)**

* * *

" _The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith."_

* * *

"200 lightning crystals, 350 fire crystals, 350 water crystals, 200 air crystals…" I muttered, tracing the items on the list as I read them. No clue why Roman wants more of them. I massaged my temples. All this dust in one place was a giant disaster waiting to happen. Not to mention the fucking pain in the ass it was to keep track of it.

"I need a break" I stood up, stretching. I walked across the warehouse to where Roman stood in front of a map of Vale. He had already taken the liberty of adding his own alterations to it.

"So," I said, walking up to stand beside him. "You going to tell me exactly why we need this much dust?" He laughed. "Oh don't worry about it. It's for a plan so magnificent, so masterful…" He gestured wildly to emphasise his points. "You have no idea what it's for do you." I deadpanned.

"Not a clue." Roman replied. I moved to lean against a table, sighing. We were clearly being used in something bigger than us, and we both knew it. To say it was infuriating was an understatement.

"But enough of that, "Roman said. "Tell me more about you. We've been partners for a month, and I still don't know your name." He paused, before adding "Unless you want me to continue calling you Wolfy?"

This raised a few eyebrows from both me and a few grunts carrying crates nearby.

"Even if I told you, you would probably still be calling me that," I snorted, shaking my head. "I'm probably going to regret this but…" I said looking straight at him. "You can call me Rayes."

"Well then Rayes! I'll be taking some of your men for this shop," He said pointing at a spot on the map. "My contacts say they have more security than the rest." He says. I nod, before taking out my scroll to check the time. I should really start to wear my watch when I'm working.

My scroll beeped in my hand, signalling a message. I opened it to see it was from Professor Goodwitch. Apparently she had a mission coming up in a few days that I had to be there for, and she wanted me back ASAP.

I kept my scroll in my pocket before turning back to Roman. "Well Roman, looks like I have to disappear for a while." I said. "Try not to get my men killed, and update the numbers." I added, putting the clipboard with the list down on the table.

"Don't worry Rayes, if your men get captured, or killed, it would be their lack of skill that causes it, not my superb leadership and planning skills!" He said with a heavily exaggerated tone, striking a pose.

"Yes, very funny Roman, but I should be leaving soon." I told him, shrugging on my cloak. I turned to my newly appointed second in command, giving him a bunch of things that the cell were allowed to do and things they were not while I was gone.

The fox Faunus nodded at my every word, taking in everything I was saying. There had been a shortage of members wanting to be my stand-in after they heard what I did to that Beaver, so I had appointed my most trusted tracker in the hopes of him being more competent than the rest.

I walked out of the warehouse, slipping off my mask and putting on my hat, before beginning my walk back to the skyport, where Professor Goodwitch had told me that there was a bullhead waiting specifically for me.

As I walked down the streets, I keep my eyes forward, but my senses were on full alert. I could feel the tension in the air, caused by who knows what. I heard discussions ranging from the rising dust prices due to the robberies, to the drop of white fang activity in Vale.

I kept my face straight, trying not to show anybody that I could hear them and betray the fact that I was behind most of it, as I continued walking until eventually I saw a bullhead waiting at the port.

I entered the bullhead after showing the pilot Professor Goodwitch's message, and soon enough, we were on our way to the academy.

I took out a sketchbook I kept in one of my cloak's inner pockets, mindlessly beginning to flip through the pages, pausing momentarily on each image.

As I turned the page, I stopped abruptly. Staring back at me from the page was a younger Adam, looking up from cleaning his sword. That was the day we were called back to menagerie for our promotion, I realised.

I remember the looks on the other Lieutenant's faces when Sienna Khan did it. Cries of "They're too young!" and "They're not ready for the responsibility!" were silenced almost immediately. While we were far younger than any other Lieutenants, we were given control of the Vale and Mistral Cells of the Fang, at the age of 15.

At the time, we were ecstatic, but now I know the real reason for our fast promotion.

After Sienna installed himself as the new leader, he needed people he could trust in leadership positions, and with Adam and I being part of the ones who were more…bloodthirsty, we fit the bill completely.

I was pulled from the memory by the side door of the bullhead opening. How we landed without me noticing was beyond me. I thanked the pilot as I stepped out. He nodded, before flying off.

So, how do I find her now… 'You could always ask around' Alpha suggested. "Or, you could just go to the duelling hall, where she holds her one and only lesson?" Omega smugly said.

"You know, I would say I missed your voices," I quietly said. "If it weren't for your smart-ass attitude." I guess they did both make good points, and they knew it. I began to walk towards the building that held the duelling arena, where Professor Goodwitch always held her lessons.

As I pushed open the door to the arena, I saw a stage erected in the pit, with a bench in front. Seems like they're still doing introductions to combat… feels kind of off, considering the first years should have been training for about a month.

I shrugged to myself, taking a seat at the back of the empty upper area. I pulled out my sketchbook and flipped it open, this time to an empty page. I took out a pencil, before beginning to draw a rough sketch of Roman.

It was a weird partnership at first. He held no respect for any of the White Fang members, and I would have hated working with him, but after I found out he treated everyone like shit, I decided it wasn't an issue I'd pursue. After all, it isn't discrimination if you hate everyone equally, and he was pretty damn good at his job.

Upon hearing the Arena doors open, I looked up to see Professor Goodwitch walking up the stage, with the rest of the first years proceeding to stand around in front of her.

Professor Goodwitch strode to the front of the stage, scroll in one hand, riding crop in the other, obviously preparing to brief the students.

Before she spoke however, her gaze flicked over to find me. Her eyes widened momentarily, before she schooled her expression. Some of the more observant students, looked around to find what could have startled their teacher, before they had their attention dragged back to the professor, who had just begun to speak.

"Now students, after weeks of practice bouts, this will be the first simulated tournament duel of many to come." Professor Goodwitch said. "Most matches will have randomised opponents, but you are allowed to volunteer whenever you want to." She continued, fiddling with her scroll, before names of the student's began to flick past on the two screens on the side of the stage, before settling on two boys.

"To show an example of a tournament-style duel, will Jaune Arc and Cardin Winchester please step on to the stage." She finished, stepping backwards as the two boys came on stage.

I got out of my seat and walked up to the railing, leaning on it to watch the fight. Jaune seems to have unlocked his aura somehow, and it was one of the biggest I've ever seen. Pure White too, which was pretty rare in terms of colour.

The buzzer sounded, commencing the start of the fight. Jaune immediately rushed forward, swinging his sword like a mad man. 'Holy hell he's bad' Omega stated as Cardin blocked Jaune's first strike, before slamming him in the chest with his mace. Jaune slid back a few feet, wobbling dangerously, but otherwise managing to keep everything important with him.

Sensing an advantage, Cardin rushed forward and began to relentlessly pound Jaune, who only barely managed to use his shield to block the strikes. Even still, his aura was slowly dropping, having dropped to 3 quarters in the first 10 seconds.

"How did this kid even survive the first week, much less a month" I muttered to myself, eyes fixed on the duel. Cardin managed to sneak one strike behind Jaune's guard, and sent the boy flying. No matter how much aura Jaune had, after the beating he's taking, it's no wonder why he's almost in the red. A few more strikes and it would be over.

I sat back down, albeit in the front row this time. Since Jaune clearly had not made a significant improvement to his fighting skills, it was clear who would win the match.

As I watched Cardin dodge a strike from Jaune, before sending Jaune flying across the stage, losing his shield in the process, I couldn't help but wince. Jaune had almost no skill in fighting with a sword and shield. If he was fighting one handed, he could probably stand a chance, but right now, it seems like he only knows how to use one hand at a time.

As the buzzer sounded, I leant back into the chair. 'He has almost zero talent,' Alpha said. 'Why exactly did you nominate him as a leader?'

"He had potential to become a great swordsman, but looks like most of it is still just that, potential. And besides," I continued, "compared to the other three, he's the best choice." I paused, before adding, "My first choice was actually the silent kid, but he has to devote himself to making sure his partner doesn't break anything too valuable."

I looked up from my thoughts to see the students slowly moving out of the arena, leaving behind a few who were still chatting with each other. I jumped over the railing, landing as softly as possible, before making my way towards the stage, which was being dismantled by Professor Goodwitch.

"It's not like you to be easily startled Professor." I stated, moving to stand next to her. She sighed as she somehow managed to fit the entire stage into a suitcase, before sending it to who knows where. "I just didn't expect you to be here this fast." She said, turning to face me.

"Well, you said ASAP so…" I made a gesture at myself "Here I am." She nodded, before she started walking away, motioning me to follow.

"In a few days, the first years are to be brought down to forever fall on an assignment for Professor Peach." She said. I nodded, recognising the same assignment the first years were given yearly. "We might have to be a bit more… restrictive in the area we let them move in."

Professor Goodwitch raised her eyebrows at this, before I answered her unspoken question. "A group of my friends set up camp there, and it would be a real pain for the kids to uncover any troublesome questions."

She nodded, before continuing." That is not why I called you back Rayes. I need you to be around when we bring them to the forest." I stopped dead in my tracks.

Professor Goodwitch noticing this, turned towards me questioningly. "You called me back for a …babysitting mission?" I asked in a strained voice. She sighed, before she continued to walk down the hallway. I followed, trailing slightly behind.

"There have been an unusually high number of troublemakers in this year's intake, and I would be unable to keep my eye on all of them by myself." She confided.

I exhaled deeply, running a hand through my hair. "Fine I'll do it. But you know I have very limited ways of subduing people without risk of major injury." I warned her.

"Fantastic!" Professor Goodwitch said, looking very relieved. We stopped in front of a door that I recognised led to the cafeteria. I opened the door to see a very specific team harassing a bunny Faunus.

I glanced over at Professor Goodwitch to gauge her reaction. There was a spark in her eye, but she did not move to stop them. I sighed inwardly, before walking forward. I was about to call out to them when I saw them do something that made my blood run cold.

They had touched her ears. Pulled them. They had violated what was sacred to Faunus', and now they were going to pay the price.

"Cardin Winchester," I called out, edge present in my voice. He turned towards me, smirk present on his face. "Let go of her." He sneered at me, before tightening his grip around the Faunus's ears, causing her to wince and cry out.

I narrowed my eyes, before darting forward, stopping in front of him and jerking my elbow upwards. I heard a solid crack as I felt my elbow connect with his chin, sending him flying back a few feet, knocking him out in the process. Seeing their leader laid out on the floor, his team started to charge towards me.

As I ducked under a swing from the blue haired boy, I remembered what Kaz taught me about fighting without a weapon.

" _It's alright to let your hate and anger fuel your blows, but never let them take control. That is when you lose". Kaz said as he tightened his Vambraces_

I quickly jabbed the boy in the stomach, before grabbing him and tossing him into the bronze-haired boy. As they both stumbled backwards, I turned to the one with the Mohawk. He had faltered in his charge after seeing me dispatch his teammates.

"Take your Teammates and go, before I decide that you four haven't learnt your lesson" I said in a monotonous voice. Sensing the underlying threat, the boys quickly grabbed their leader, who was still on the ground, and hobbled off, presumably towards the infirmary.

As I looked at Professor Goodwitch who still stood in the open doors of the cafeteria, I saw her shaking her head disapprovingly, but with a trace of a smile on her face.

I turned my attention towards the girl, who was still seated on the bench, cowering slightly. I took the seat next to her and watched her shrink away from me. I reached into my coat and discreetly made some Ice dust, wrapping it in a handkerchief.

"For your ears." I said as I passed it to her. Timidly, she took it and held it to her ears, letting out a sigh of relief as it numbed the pain.

I watched her slowly use the makeshift ice-pack to soothe her ears, before she suddenly piped up. "I know who you are. You're Rayes Aeron."

"Oh?" I said, a little surprised. "And how did you figure that out?" She smiled bashfully, before replying. "You kinda opened up a little portal in one of my duelling classes." Ah, so she heard of me from that event. "Which begs the question," She pauses, "Why is arguably the strongest 3rd year willing to stick his neck out for a Faunus like me?"

"Well Ms…" I started. "Oh! I'm sorry, my name is Velvet Scarlatina, just call me Velvet" she informed me. "Well Velvet," I continued. "We Faunus have to look out for one another." I stood up and made to walk back to my dorm.

Before I left, I tipped my hat in Velvet's direction, giving her a clue about my Faunus heritage, before slipping out of the Cafeteria and heading to my dorm to catch some Zs, despite it still being early in the afternoon.

 **3** **rd** **POV**

As Rayes left the cafeteria, many pairs of eyes followed him. One such pair belonged to a certain Blake Belladonna, who was interested in who this student was, that he would fight for a Faunus.

'He almost seems too good to be true' she thought to herself. She recognised his voice, but couldn't put her finger on who it belonged to. She sighed, before picking up her book and continuing to read.

 **Yo**

 **I hope I haven't made Rayes feel too overbearing, and I know my fight scenes are still piss-poor (would appreciate any criticism and feedback to improve). Not really planning on pairing him with any of the canon people. Probs gonna be Mikki(Infirmary) TBH**

 **As it's not explicitly stated in the series whether Faunus could identify each other through some method, I've made it so in my Fic that those who choose to hide it (i.e. Blake, Rayes) would not be recognised as Faunus unless something gives them away, like Blake's Bow twitching**

 **Also, to make Rayes's presence not totally useless in Forever fall, I'm gonna give him his own Grimm to fight. Should it be a Bigger Ursa, or another more dangerous Grimm?**


	7. Chapter 6

'Hey' -is the voices of the swords

"Hey" -is dialogue (unless otherwise stated)

Hey -is thoughts

* * *

" _The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too."_

* * *

I grumbled as I threw my cloak over my shoulders and moved to answer the door. I had wanted to catch up on sleep today, but it seems like fate decided to give me a wake-up call.

The knocking on the door continued for what seemed like the 100th time, slowly growing in frequency and volume.

I threw the door open and regarded the person standing in front of me with bleary eyes. My eyes lit up as I recognised her, and I shook the sleep out of my face.

"Good Morning Professor Goodwitch," I greeted her. "How can I help you?" I shuffled in the doorway, curious as to what brought her here.

Instead of answering, all she did was continue staring at the top of my head. Was something in my hair? I ran my hand through my hair, confused at Professor Goodwitch's speechlessness when I felt it.

I had forgotten to hide my ears. "Fuck" I muttered under my breath, before pulling her in to the room and closing the door behind me, hoping to whatever gods there were that nobody noticed them.

I glanced back at Professor Goodwitch, who was still staring at my ears in shock. Sighing, I waved my hand in front of her face, trying to catch her attention.

"Hello, Remnant to Glynda, are you alright?" She broke out of her stupor, fixing me with a glare at my casual use of her name, before her gaze softened

I chuckled at this, casually remarking, "With how long you were staring, it's almost as if you've never seen a Faunus' ears." I sat down on my bed.

"It's not that," She said. "I've just never expected them to be so…white," She finished. I shrugged my shoulders at her statement. I was fully aware that my ears would stand out no matter where I was, which was why I had resorted to wearing my fedora anywhere that wasn't fang controlled.

I brought my attention back to Glynda and noticed her glancing around the room. "I see you still haven't cleared their belongings." She noted.

So we're going straight into the hard hitting questions. Great.  
"You know I don't have the heart to move them." I sighed, shaking my head, before continuing. "To make it worse, with the nightmares coming back…" I trailed off.

She looked at me with concern evident in her eyes. After all, Glynda was the one who came looking for me to schedule counselling sessions after the incident.

"You know you can always talk about it to me Rayes," She supplied. "My door is always open." I smiled, shaking my head. She always was the over-protective type of person.

I clapped my hands together abruptly. "Well enough of the gloomy stuff, what brings you here Glynda?" I asked.

She hesitated before answering. "The field trip has been postponed to a later date, due to a certain team's… injuries."

I stared at her incredulously. "You're kidding right?" I asked. "I hardly did anything that couldn't be fixed by a few hours of bed rest."

"Well after you were finished with them," She paused before continuing, "Ms Scarlatina's team decided that they hadn't learnt their lesson." She drew a chair over from the lone desk in the room, before sitting down.

I groaned, leaning back to lie flat on the bed. So I'm stuck here until further notice, all because of one team's lust for vengeance. 'Can you blame them? You got pretty mad too,' Alpha whispered in my head.

I half-heartedly agreed, before sitting back up. "So do we have any idea of when the trip will be held then?" I asked her.

"Actually yes, we do" I perked up at this. At least there was some good news. "The trip has been rescheduled for a week from now."

And just like that, my hopes had been dashed. One week. I was stuck here for one week, where Ozpin could keep an eye on me.

"Alright, so I'm stuck here for a week. Is there anything I could do that can pass the time, and fulfil the weird curriculum you gave me?" I asked Glynda

"Well as of right now, there's nothing really urgent for you to do," She said, before continuing with a frown. "Although in my opinion, you should sit in on some classes with your juniors, try and make some friends."

'She's right you know,' Omega added. 'Talking to voices in your head ain't exactly good for you.' Oh great. Even the voices in my head question my sanity.

I waved her concerns off nonchalantly. I heard a sigh from her. "I'll make it fulfil your curriculum if you attend the classes." I raised my eyebrows at that. Usually I would have to be sent out on missions for the teachers to fulfil the required amount of hours, but now? All I had to do was attend lessons.

"You're that worried about me huh," I muttered, before standing up. "Fine, I'll attend the lessons." I grabbed my hat, making sure it sat snugly on my head, without hurting my ears too much, and buckled my combat belt on.

Glynda stood up, and we walked over to the door. I opened the door after grabbing my scroll from my bedside table, ushering Glynda out into the hallway, before closing the door behind me, hearing the familiar click of the lock.

"So is there a class schedule or anything you can give me or do you want me to start trailing one of the teams around?" I asked her, receiving a bemused look from her, before she took out her scroll.

"There's a class with professor Oobleck that begins at 9:00." Oobleck… It had been a while since I'd seen him. It could be fun.

Her fingers flicked across the screen, barely visible. "I'll have a schedule sent to your scroll before the end of his lecture."

I nodded before making to leave, when she grabbed my arm. I turned towards her to see a conflicted look in her eyes. "Rayes…I just want to warn you," She started, pausing, as if deciding whether or not to continue.

"You're playing a very dangerous game." She paused; looking down the hall to ensure nobody was around, before continuing. "Your participation in the fang is going to draw attention to you and make people question your loyalties, especially General Ironw-

"You think I don't know this Glyn-" I stopped, correcting myself. "Professor Goodwitch," I shot back. "I've only wanted one thing for my people, and I would willingly tear Remnant apart for it." I pulled my arm away from her, turning to leave, before adding.

"The higher-ups could use all the information they could get, and if they question who I would stand with if shit hits the fan…" I took a deep breath to calm myself. "I would stand with whoever is for the Faunus, no questions asked."

I walked away, leaving professor Goodwitch standing in front of the dorm. I walked towards the cafeteria, grabbing a quick breakfast, before heading for the classroom.

When I reached the classroom, I checked the time. 8:50, still early. I sighed, walking into the classroom, to see it almost completely empty. That was odd. You would expect people to be earlier, but who was I to judge.

I looked at the front of the class to see Doctor Oobleck sipping coffee, zipping to the side a few inches every now and then.

I approached him casually, raising my hand up. "What's up Doc? I assume Professor Goodwitch told you I'll be attending your lectures until the trip?"

"Yes, I was actually just informed." He took a sip from his coffee, talking at a normal speed for once. "You can take any seat once class starts, it's the least I can do for one of my best students."

"Well shit sir, you don't need to grant me any special treatment, I'm fine with being a regular student," I said, before frowning. "Speaking of students, where are they? Shouldn't most of them have arrived already?"

"Well not everybody is as punctual as you were, Rayes." He said. I shrugged my shoulders, before going over to his messy desk to look at the lesson he had prepared.

Oobleck appeared by my shoulder and started pointing out parts of the lecture that he thought would interest me. Every so often, I would add in my own comments to the conversation, which was usually received with a nod from the Doctor, and a rush to scribble it down on the paper.

We would have been standing there for hours had it not been for the bell ringing, bringing us back to reality. Both the Doctor and I looked up to see a room full of students staring at us incredulously. I turned to look at him to see him doing the same. I shrugged, before motioning for him to start.

As I made to move to an empty seat, I felt a hand come down on my shoulder. I sighed, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Alright class, joining us for our lessons is one of your seniors." He nudged me, hinting for me to introduce myself.

I forced a smile and raised a hand up. "My name is Rayes Aeron, I'm a third year who is helping the teachers out." I paused, glancing at Oobleck to gauge his reaction. He looked satisfied with my introduction enough.

"Now class, you can ask Mr Aeron any questions you want." My eyes widened at this. Damnit Oobleck.

Immediately after he finished the sentence, multiple hands shot up in the air. I glanced over them, before pointing at one of them at random.

A familiar white haired Heiress stood up. "What is your combat score?" She asked. I tried to think back to duelling lessons to remember my score.

"Let's see… I think right now I'm…" I glanced over at Oobleck before continuing. "63 and 2 in single fights?" My statement brought many exclamations from the room, while Oobleck only nodded at this.

The Heiress sat back down, looking a bit shaken from my answer. I looked over the remaining people, before pointing at random.

A girl with red hair stood up. Her eyes were sparkling as she eyed my belt. Ruby, I think her name was. "What do you use to fight with?" She asked, voice brimming with excitement. I should have expected this question. I pushed back my cloak and unbuckled the sheath that held Alpha and held her out to the class.

"Along with this, I also have a pistol I usually fight with." I supplied, pointing at the holster on my belt. I started to reattach it back to my belt before "But why do you have two sheathes?"

I looked up to see Velvet, who had blurted out her question, looking around in embarrassment when she realised she said it out loud.

"Well, that in itself is a secret to my style of fighting," I calmly stated. Seeing everybody's disappointed look, I decided to throw them a figurative bone. "But I am ambidextrous, so my sword uses both sheathes." Not entirely true, but not exactly a lie, but they didn't need to know that.

"But anyway, enough about me, you're here to learn about history, not me." A series of groans echoed throughout the classroom as I effectively gave the time back to the Doctor.

"Quite right class, maybe if you study hard enough, you might become like Rayes here. After all, he did top his cohort in history." Another chorus of gasps came from the room as I shrugged my shoulders at this admission.

As Oobleck was about to begin the lecture, he paused before indicating with a wave of his hand to one of the students. As she stood up, I couldn't help but feel nervous when I saw who it was. Blake Belladonna.

I wonder if she recognised my voice yet. I was vaguely aware of a conversation between Oobleck and her before I felt everybody's attention on me.

"I'm sorry, I zoned out for a bit, what was the question?" I asked with an apologetic smile. Blake narrowed her eyes, before she spoke.

"What team are you from?"

My smile dropped from my face as I felt the anticipation in the air. Those who knew about the incident were all tense, while those with no idea of it were probably expecting me to be from one of the more famous teams like CRMN (Carmine) or RCKY (Rocky).

"Maverick" I whispered softly, before steeling myself and looking up to face everybody. "I _was_ from team Maverick, and that's all I'm going to say on that subject."

I walked over to an empty desk and took a seat. Of course it would be her. It would have to be fucking HER to ask that question. I tried not to put a hole in the desk as I calmed myself down enough to notice Oobleck had started his lecture.

I sighed. There goes my plan to actually enjoy this class.

* * *

"That is all class. Remember to do your assigned readings and submit them next lesson. Mr Arc, Mr Winchester. Please stay behind." A series of relieved breathes were heard throughout the classroom as the sound of many pens hit the table.

I chuckled in my seat. It seems nobody was used to the speed of Oobleck, which was to be expected. I got up from the desk and waved to Oobleck. He nodded in my direction, before turning to address the two students in front of him.

I walked out of the classroom, stretching my arms in the air, groaning as I popped the soreness out of my shoulders, when I felt a familiar presence approaching from behind me.

I turned around to see Weiss Schnee approaching me with Ruby in tow. Weiss stopped in front of me with Ruby off by her side, her eyes fixating on my belt.

"Can I see your weapons?! Please!" Ruby suddenly blurted out, cutting off whatever Weiss was going to say. I looked over at Weiss, eyebrow raised, as she looked at Ruby with minor annoyance.

Shrugging, I took Alpha out of her sheath and carefully passed her to Ruby. She reverently held the weapon out in front of her, before going on to spout random facts about the make and material used to make the sword almost as fast as Oobleck.

I let out a slight laugh, before turning to Weiss with a question in my eyes. "Did you come here just to see my weapon with Ruby?" I asked her

Weiss quickly stopped glaring at Ruby, looking at the floor for a while before continuing. "I think we started on the wrong foot…"

Before she continued, I raised up my hand to silence her. "Yeah let's stop right there, you obviously want me to do something for you, so get to the point." Seeing her embarrassed look, I added with a wave of my hand. "And besides, that's all in the past. It's not like anyone died or anything."

Weiss looked a bit uncomfortable, before she finally bit the bullet. "Well my team is really bad at history, and since you were the top scorer of your year…"

"You want me to help tutor your team," I finished for her. Her nod confirmed my statement.

I held my hand up to my chin in contemplation. On the one hand, it increases the risk of Blake recognising me. On the other, it would get professor Goodwitch off my back about socialising.

"Firstly, what does your team normally get," I asked her. Weiss was silent for a while, before replying. "Well, I get A's most of the time, Blake and Ruby get B's and Yang…" She paused, hesitant to go on.

"She's barely passing" Ruby piped up, surprising Weiss, while she passed Alpha back to me. I sheathed the sword again, before letting out a breath.

"We would really appreciate your help Rayes!" She said, giving me Puppy Dog eyes. I arched my eyebrows at this, glancing over at Weiss to see her shaking her head in exasperation over Ruby's behaviour.

"Sure I guess," I said uneasily. "I could help".

 **Well that went better than expected. Dunno why I was having trouble with this chapter.**

 **This is mostly a filler Chapter to avoid too many time skips, although next chapter is likely to be a flashback start.**

 **I've also finalised the events that are going down in Forever Fall, so stay tuned for that.**

 **Merry Christmas/Kwanzaa/hanukkah!**


End file.
